Here’s an early holiday gift from us to you: audio clips from SIX of our most popular #BKBF programs! Listen to them and recall the day-long literary extravaganza, thanks to the generous support of the Amazon Literary Partnership. Enjoy!
The New Green Light: Views From America
Stephanie Powell Watts (No One Is Coming To Save Us), Margaret Wilkerson Sexton (A Kind of Freedom), and Julia Fierro (The Gypsy Moth Summer) cover many dimensions of the American landscape, from small towns to a destroyed city. In these novels, the interaction between one’s location and one’s aspirations heighten issues of race, love, and ambition. Moderated by Garrard Conley (Boy Erased).
Moral Culpability in Global Crises
Novelists Lidia Yuknavitch (The Book of Joan), Jonathan Safran Foer (Here I Am), and Achy Obejas (The Tower of the Antilles) show that no matter the setting, characters share common struggles. Across time and place, these protagonists search for their role in a crisis larger than themselves – whether as rebel fighters in a futuristic police-state, Jewish-Americans coping with the conflict in the Middle East, and Cubans haunted by the islands they inhabit. Moderated by Michele Filgate.
Theater of War, presented by Brooklyn Public Library
What do ancient Greek tragedies about violence and war have to say to veterans and their communities today? New York City Public Artist in Residence Bryan Doerries advocates for theater as a safe way to start difficult conversations. Actors Amy Ryan (Bridge of Spies, Birdman), Zach Grenier (Fight Club, The Good Wife, Dead Wood) and New York City Council member Jumaane Williams perform short scenes from plays by Sophocles and Euripides, and New York City veterans discuss the power of ancient dramas to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
Where Is Home?
“Home” is an idea that invites many definitions and interpretations. Is home where one’s family is, or one’s family history? Or where your beliefs are accepted and embraced? Dina Nayeri (Refuge), Amani Al-Khatahtbeh (Muslim Girl), and Derek Palacio (The Mortifications) discuss how they approached these questions and more in their new novels. Moderated by Hirsh Sawhney (South Haven).
Performing Gender, presented by BAM
Author, director, and actor Olivier Py is joined by performer, writer, and founding member of Split Britches Peggy Shaw for a ranging discussion about drag performance and about the broader politics of performing gender. Moderated by performance artist, playwright and educator Daniel Alexander Jones and presented in conjunction with this season’s Olivier Py Sings Les Premiers Adieux de Miss Knife, as part of the BAM Next Wave Festival.
Working with Amazon Publishing: Author and Editor Perspectives
Marc Levy (P.S. from Paris), Kimberly Rae Miller (Coming Clean and Beautiful Bodies), and Jimin Han (A Small Revolution), discuss their experiences working with Amazon Publishing and how they create a community of readers through Amazon, social media, and events. Moderated by Carmen Johnson, an Amazon Publishing Editorial Director.
